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NASA Marks Anniversaries with Beatles Broadcast

The transmission originated from the NASA Deep Space Network of antennas, and marks the 40th anniversary of the recording of "Across the Universe," the 45th anniversary of the DSN and the 50th anniversary of NASA.

It was probably one of the most narrowly targeted broadcasts in history, but on 4 February NASA transmitted The Beatles’s “Across the Universe” from a highly directional antenna pointed toward the North Star.

The transmission originated from the NASA Deep Space Network of antennas, and marks the 40th anniversary of the recording of “Across the Universe,” the 45th anniversary of the DSN and the 50th anniversary of NASA.

According to a NASA press release, Sir Paul McCartney responded to the planned broadcast: “Send my love to the aliens.”

Yoko Ono, widow of John Lennon who was the primary author of “Across the Universe,” stated: “I see this as the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the Universe.”

The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth. The song will travel across the universe at a speed of 186,000 miles per second. Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney expressed excitement that the tune, which was principally written by fellow Beatle John Lennon, was being beamed into the cosmos.

The transmission is aimed at Polaris, the North Star, in the constellation Ursa Major. It is located 431 light years from Earth, which means the target audience — assuming something is out there — won’t hear the broadcast until the year 2439.